Picture Perfect
by MagnificentUmbrella
Summary: There was always something special with the firsts of everything. It marked the beginning, a brand new start, so it had to hold some significance. With a new camera in his hands, Shinji was unsure of what his first photo should be. In walked in Kaworu, and Shinji had an inkling what it might just be.


The prompt is 'photograph'. This is written in one go, with as little descriptions added afterwards as much as possible. Grammatical corrections are made, however. It's a form of personal challenge to see what I can write without edits as far as I can help it.

I don't own Evangelion.

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The cool evening breeze washed over the bedroom, the blue curtains billowing at its wake. Shinji was seated on the bed, legs crossed, as he scrutinised the object in his hands. It was a digital camera, light and sleek. The navy blue of the metallic surface was smooth to the touch and Shinji found himself brushing his thumb across the surface in fascination. Clearly the one who purchased it for him had a good eye. He wasn't surprised.

He was playing around with the camera and testing it out when he heard a soft knock on the door. "Shinji?"

"Come in."

The door slid open, revealing his friend.

"You haven't emerged from your room for a while. I was wondering what you were doing in here." Kaworu remarked in mild concern.

Shinji blinked. "Has it been a while?"

Kaworu offered a gentle smile in response and walked towards him. Then, he quickly noticed what was in Shinji's hands and he hummed in curiosity. "What is that?"

Looking down, Shinji followed his line of sight and realised he was referring to his camera. "Oh, this? It's a camera. Ayanami gave it to me for my birthday." How and where she had saved up the money to buy it didn't leave much to imagination. It was most likely that she asked from his father. Shinji wondered if she had done it such that his father would have indirectly bought him his birthday gift and thus wished him a happy birthday.

"I've heard about it but I've never used it before."

"I tried taking some photos from Kensuke's video camera once." He had no idea how he managed to convince Kensuke to let him use his treasured camera. The look on Kensuke was dense with excitement when he snapped the photos of military tanks so he was compelled to try it out. It was an interesting experience to look at things from a different set of lenses. Puts things into perspective, that life could be captured in still images.

"Have you tried it out yet?" Kaworu came closer to sit on the edge of the bed. Shinji made some room so that Kaworu could shift closer and make himself more comfortable.

"No." Shinji stared at the camera for a while. He hadn't taken any photos yet. There was this strange sense of purpose that he should reserve his very first photo taken by his very first camera on something significant. The Unit-01, maybe?

He looked up. Kaworu looked right back in reflex and they caught each other's gazes.

Shinji's eyes widened in revelation. That took a little long to realise.

"Can I take a picture of you?"

A look of surprise crossed Kaworu's features. "Me?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. I want to test it out, but I don't wanna just take some random photo. I want it to mean something."

The implications only hit him seconds after he said them out loud. And by then the words already sunk into Kaworu. Shocked by his carelessness, Shinji wished for the bed to swallow him hold so he didn't have to burn in shame and suffer through Kaworu's reaction.

As expected, Kaworu gaped back, quite taken by surprise. But his eyes softened with something Shinji couldn't quite decipher and his lips curled into a gentle smile. There was even a hint of pink on his pale cheeks, like a dash of watercolour on a blank canvas.

"Alright."

"What?" Broken from his panicked train of thoughts, Shinji snapped his eyes back up to him.

"I would like to have my picture taken. I don't think I'm a very good model, but I'll try my best."

"That..." He felt his mouth go a little dry. If anything, Kaworu was a natural in being poise, even when it was unintentional. "O-Okay."

With that, he fumbled with his camera in nervousness. Kaworu, on the other hand, was completely at ease and swept his eyes around Shinji's room, deciding for the optimal position to take a photo. "What do your think about having the photo taken in front of the window, Shinji?"

Said person hummed in thought as he considered Kaworu's words. His gaze traced the dark metal window frames which cropped the evening city landscape outside. The sky was splashes of mauve, violet and lilac, decorated with slivers of pink and peach. It was a captivating early evening sight and Shinji immediately agreed to it.

Kaworu manoeuvered himself in front of the window and tried out various poses, some which drew a few amused chuckles out of Shinji. It was during those poses where Kaworu smiled the brightest. His eyes twinkled with delight and he gazed at Shinji with such tender fondness Shinji felt his whole body warm at the affection. Kaworu was always kind like that, but Shinji couldn't help feel a little hot under the collar at times.

"Okay, I'm gonna take a photo now. Just," Shinji pressed his lips in contemplation, "be natural."

Bringing the camera to his face, Shinji peered through the viewfinder. The camera of good quality, as far as Shinji could tell with his limited knowledge in photography, but he would have expected as much from Rei. The first thing he noticed was how gorgeous the colours of the sky turned out. The hues were sharp and bright, bringing out the best of the sunset. The window served as a frame within the camera frame; the dark lines contrasted the cream shade on the wall. Shinji realised how often he took something normal and seemingly insignificant like a sunset for granted. It was stunning and Shinji was starting to understand how Kensuke felt when he was behind the lenses.

And then his focus turned to Kaworu.

The natural light bled through his ashen hair and the lines of his body, casting an ethereal glow on the boy from behind. His silhouette thus was more noticeable than his features. Kaworu had his head tilted slightly to one side and his eyes were downcast. There was hint of a smile gracing his thin lips. He looked like he was contentedly confined in his own world, a haven in an entirely separate universe that was untouchable by anyone else. Instead of being overlooked, Kaworu's expression became the intriguing detail of the image, like a afterthought which stayed in one's mind for days with its enchanting beauty.

Unbelievably captivated, Shinji stared at what was before him before his mind caught back up to reality. He pressed a finger down. _Click_.

"I-It's done." Shinji finally said.

Kaworu looked up. His face lit up with interest. "Let me see."

Shinji pressed another button to display the gallery as Kaworu strode languidly towards him. The only photo popped into display. Kaworu leaned closer till their shoulders were pressed up against each other to have a better look of the photo. Suddenly aware of the intimacy, Shinji felt his heartbeat grow erratic and his chest tighten.

The photo was just as beautiful as Shinji expected, but somehow he preferred seeing the real thing seconds ago. There was a certain rawness to seeing something in the flesh than to see it on a flat image. It didn't mean he didn't appreciate the photo, however. He was rather proud of himself for capturing the beauty of Kaworu and the sky so well, especially on his first try.

Ever since looking at the photo, Kaworu had not uttered a single word. Worry nipped at Shinji and he turned his head to look at the other.

Kaworu was completely transfixed on the photo, as if this was the first time he actually _saw_ himself. His gaze was unwavering, unable to take his eyes off the camera, unable to believe that this was him.

"K-Kaworu?"

At the sound of his name, Kaworu was broken from his trance and stared at Shinji. His lips was parted and his eyes were wide. It was the first time Shinji saw him so disorientated and startled, and wondered if he should be pleased that he was the cause of it.

"Shinji, I look..."

A bashful smile tugged at Shinji's lips. He wouldn't have said it under any circumstances, but there was an odd urge compelling him to put his honest and embarrassing thoughts into words. "Beautiful."

Kaworu made a small sound at the back of his throat. The tips of his ears were pink and Shinji was certain they weren't from the setting sun. His heart was thumping painfully against his chest at the implication. Kaworu was embarrassed by Shinji's words. Kaworu, who was never caught off guard and was always in control of his feelings and knew what to say, was speechless and embarrassed.

Then, Kaworu's eyes softened and his lips stretched into a gentle smile. "Thank you." He murmured. Although the photo was beautiful, Shinji decided that Kaworu up close with him and looking at him like that, with the fading golden light falling upon the side of his face, was even more mesmerising.

"N-No problem." His heart was brimming with emotions and he had no idea how to handle them.

A comforting silence stretched between the both of them as unspoken feelings hung in the air. Kaworu's eyes searched his face and though Shinji was unsure what he was looking for, he was perfectly contented with having Kaworu's warm gaze on him like that.

"Shinji, can I show my gratitude with a kiss?"

Shinji was so full of enchantment for the other that he didn't have the mind to be embarrassed by the request. So he nodded numbly.

Once he was given the confirmation, Kaworu slowly leaned in. He raised a hand to the side of Shinji's face as he drank in his blissful expression. Shinji shut his eyes as Kaworu's face closed in, relishing in the way Kaworu's breath fanned across his face and the way Kaworu cradled his face so gently. He felt treasured under his care, but before he could entertain that line of thought further he felt something soft and warm pressed against his lips.

Shinji had a sliver of rationality left in him to maintain his grip on the camera. But it was a difficult feat. The kiss was so achingly intimate it made his toes curl and his breath halt. Everything around Shinji blurred into nothingness and the core of his very existence was at their point of contact. It was all he could focus on and register. The emotions in him rearranged and shifted and rearranged again. They were still brimming, but now Shinji knew what they were. Slowly with his free hand, he raised it to cup the back of Kaworu's neck.

They pulled away after a while but they were still close enough for their noses to brush against each other. They panted softly in each other's spaces. Shinji's mind reeled as it struggled to figure everything that happened within those eternal seconds.

Kaworu's fingers slid from his jaw to his chin, leaving tiny electric shocks in its trail, and tipped it up. This time Shinji made the first move and tilted closer for another kiss.

* * *

So, yeah. It was a little hard to write knowing that I can't go back and make changes to the descriptions. But I completed the challenge anyway.

Tell me what you think!


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